Remotely controlled wheeled toy vehicle system

ABSTRACT

A system whereby a powered toy vehicle is attached to one end of a hand-held control line that slidably passes through a hub member rotatably mounted on a stationary base, the length of the line between the vehicle and the hub being controlled by manual movement of the remainder of the line toward and away from the hub. The system may also include one or more fixed pylons disposed on the playing surface between the vehicle and the hub to temporarily engage the line and thereby shorten the length of the line about which the vehicle pivots.

United States Patent Folson et al.

[ Dec. 19, 1972 [54] REMOTELY CONTROLLED WHEELED TOY VEHICLE SYSTEM [73]Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: March 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 230,684

[52] US. Cl. ..46/202, 46/210 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 17/36 [58] Field ofSearch ..46/202, 210, 243 R, 243 LV [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,620,596 12/1952 Abrahamson ..46/210 2,730,837 l/l956 Vaughan..46/2l0 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F.Cutting AttorneySeymour A. Scholnick [5 7 ABSTRACT A system whereby apowered toy vehicle is attached to one end of a hand-held control linethat slidably passes through a hub member rotatably mounted on astationary base, the length of the line between the vehicle and the hubbeing controlled by manual movement of the remainder of the line towardand away from the hub. The system may also include one or more fixedpylons disposed on the playing surface between the vehicle and the hubto temporarily engage the line and thereby shorten the length of theline about which the vehicle pivots.

16 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU use 19 I972 SHEET 1 OF 3 PATENTEDnu: 19 I972 SHEEI 2 0F 3 REMOTELY CONTROLLED WHEELED TOY VEHICLE SYSTEMBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I The background of the invention will beset forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains generally tothe field of toy vehicles and more particularly to powered toy vehiclesmanually controlled from remote positions.

2. Description of the Prior Art Toy vehicles capable of changing theirdirection of movement across a running surface may be categorized in oneof two general classes. The first class includes toy vehicles thatchange their direction either on a predetermined timed sequence or uponthe meeting of an obstruction. The second class includes toy vehiclesthat are either controlled in direction by a remotely positioned controlmechanism electronically or acoustically coupled through a receivingmechanism in the toy, or by a remotely positoned control mechanismcoupled to the vehicle by a control cable. In toys of the former class,there is the disadvantage that no control is provided to an operator andno skill can be developed in connection with their operation.

As to the second classification in the case of cableless remote control,these toys are generally very complex, intricate and delicate and,accordingly are not very rugged and reliable and are very costly andaccordingly limited in market appeal.

In the case of prior art devices whereby powered toy vehicles arecontrolled from a remote position through cabling, satisfactory resultsare generally obtainable, however, although not as costly as thepreviously mentioned remote control systems, they are still relativelycostly to produce, and therefore not as readily mar ketable as could bedesired.

A toy vehicle that can be controlled remotely without the use of acostly control cable and which is relatively simple to construct with nodelicate or intricate parts and that has no expensive electroniccircuitry would be a significant advancement in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factors and conditionscharacteristic of the prior art, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a new and improved remotely controlled wheeled toyvehicle system not subject to the disadvantages enumerated above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a remotelycontrolled wheeled toy vehicle system wherein the toy vehicle generallypivots about a hub at a distance therefrom controlled by an operatorholding a simple control line.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a remotelycontrolled wheeled toy vehicle system wherein one or more of the toyvehicles may be caused to pivot about one or more fixed pylons for acontrolled number of revolutions before continuing a long a more generalpath about a common rotating hub.

According to the present invention, a remotely controlled wheeled toyvehicle system is provided that includes a line attached to a poweredwheeled toy vehicle adapted to travel on a playing surface, the linecontrolling the direction of travel of the vehicle essentiallyorthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the line adjacent the vehicle.The system also includes a base and a hub rotatably supported thereby,the hub including line guide means for guiding the line, the lineextending from the vehicle to-a manipulatable end through the line guidemeans, the length of a first portion of the line between the vehicle andthe hub being controlled by movement of the remaining portion of theline toward and away from the hub, whereby the vehicle is capable oftraveling around the base at any desired and continuously changeabledistance'therefrorn. Additionally, one or more specially designed pylonsmay befixed to the playing surface at positions between the vehicle andthe base to temporarily engage the first portion of the line and therebycause the vehicle to pivot about the pylon for a controlled number ofrevolutions.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood bymaking reference to the following description taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tolike components in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective presentationof the system constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view, partially in section, of some ofthe components of the present invention as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of a vehicle-control lineinterconnection arrangement used in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pylon construction, in accordance withthis invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the upper portion of the pylon of FIG.4 indicating the relative slopes of various control cable engaging edgesof the pylon of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a partial view of the pylon of FIG. 4 showing in more detailhow the control line wraps about the pylons upper tip area.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, and moreparticularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a remotely controlled wheeled toyvehicle system 11 wherein a first portion 13 of a control line 15 isattached at its vehicle engagement end 17 to a powered toy vehicle 19 bymeans of an attachment arrangement 21. The control line 15 extendsbetween the arrangement 21 and its opposite end 23 through a speciallydesigned hub 25 rotatably mounted on a stationary base member 27. Thecontrol lines end 23 may be held by an operator or the line may be woundabout a hand-held reel 29 which has provisions for storing unusedcontrol line. As can be seen in this figure, the toy vehicle 19 may becontrolled to follow any desired path as indicated, for example, bydashed line 31. Thus, as will be explained in more detail later, the toyvehicle may be guided to avoid a fixed obstacle such as can 33 and toengage any number of specially designed stationary pylons 35. It shouldbe understood that any type or style of toy vehicle may be used in thesystem 11 and that all that is required is that it carry motivationmeans to propel it along a playing surface 37. Thus, the three-wheeledtoy 19 may be replaced by such vehicles as automobiles, motorcycles,trucks, trains, airplanes, rocket ships, to name but a few.

With reference to FIG. 2, it can be seen more clearly that the controlline passes down through an inner aperture 39 in one of the hubsradially extending arms 41 and exits through an end aperture 43 at thearms extremity 45. Each arm 41 may be provided with this type apertureguiding means in the hub 25. v

The base 27, in this embodiment, is circular in crosssection and happensto somewhat resemble a wheel. But the design of the base is arbitraryand any configuration may be utilized. The base 27 is here shown to havean outer wall 51, a bottom portion 53, and an upper planar centerportion 55, in which a vertical bushing member 57 is centrally disposed.A centrally positioned axle portion 59 of the hub extends downwardlyinto and is rotatably held by the bushing member 57 whereby the hub 25and its arms 41 symmetrically rotate about an axis of rotation 61. The

material used to fabricate the base 27 may be heavy enough to resistbeing pulled along the playing surface 37 by the action of the toy 19,but additional ballast is preferably provided. Such ballast may be inthe form of water 63 poured through an opening 65 in the top portion 55of the base. In this case, the bushing 57 is held ina sleeve 67 havingouter threads 69 engaging matching threads 71 in a flange portion 73extending downwardly from the opening 65.

The base hub assembly may be fabricated from any material generallyconsidered suitable for this type of application. For example, plasticmaterial may be injection, vacuum or otherwise molded to provide thesecomponents as well as the coupling assembly21 and the reel 29. Thus inmolding the hub 25 and the sleeve 67, a snap-on depending circularflange 75 may be provided for the hub to slidably extend over ahorizontal flange portion 77 at the upper end of the sleeve 67 so as toallow rotation of the hub but to prevent the latter from being pulledfrom the base 27.

FIG. 2 also illustrates more clearly the attachment arrangement 21whereby the control line end 17 is removably attached to the vehicle 19through a coupling plug 81 and a slotted, vehicle attachment bracket 83.The plug 81, as can be viewed in FIG. 3,.ineludes an elongated rodportion 85 with a pair of spaced discs 87 and 89 fixed thereon, thelatter discs being at the outer end 91 and has a frustoconical end tipportion 93. A cross bar 95 is fixed or molded as an integral part of theother end of the rod portion 85 so that the lines end 17 may be easilyattached. Of course, the cross bar 95 may have other configurations suchas a ring, for example.

In order to allow the plug 81 to also act as a swivel to prevent unduetwisting of the line, the spacing between the discs 87 and 89 isslightly greater than the thickness dimension of a vertical portion 97of the bracket 83. The portion 97 includes an elongated horizontal slot99 which is larger than the diameter of the plugs rod portion 85 andhas, in this embodiment, an enlarged diameter opening 101 at a forwardend 103 to frictionally accept the disc 89 therethrough. In larger scaleembodiments, opening 101 may be deleted. A horizontal portion 105 of thebracket is shown extending and attaching to the underbody portion 107 ofthe vehicle 19 such that the plug 81 is located at or behind thevehicles center of mass to ensure that there is always an outward forcecomponent to keep the control line taut for control and also to keep thevehicle s path basically circular. Further, the plug 81 shouldpreferably be located at a height whereby a-line extending from thecontrol line immediately adjacent the vehicle, will pass as close aspossible to the center of mass so that the vehicle will tend to remainlevel and not tip over.

Another feature shown in FIG. 2 is a shock absorber 111. This elementtends to reduce vehicle direction instability when abrupt changes occurin the control line tension, as may occur when the control linedisengages from a pylon, for example. In a simple form, the shockabsorber 1 1 1 may be a rubber band serially attached in the firstportion 13 of the control line 15.

As an aid to store any length of the control line 15 that is not neededin the operation of the toy system 1 1 and for storage of the line whenthe system is not in use, the system as noted previously, may includethe annular disclike reel hand unit 29. The reel is provided with acentral opening to accommodate the fingers of a hand, for example, andalso has an outer periphery'l17 with a relatively broad circumferentialgroove 119 therein where the line 15 is wound. in order to prevent theline from uncontrollably unwinding from the reel 29, a resilientcircular segment element or keeper 121, with a bent tab or handle 123,is provided in the groove I 119 (see FIG. 2). To wind in the controlline, the handie 123 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 125while holding the body portion of the reel stationa- Referring now toFIG. 4, an enlarged view of the typical pylon 35 is illustrated. Thepylon includes a base portion 151 and an upstanding portion 153perpendicular thereto. The portion 153 is provided with an initialcontact straight edge 155 inclined from the vertical by approximately 3,as shown in FIG. 5. This edge, at a lower curve portion 157, smoothlyand gradually joins an upper straight edge 159 which lies approximately30 above the horizontal. At an upper curve portion 161, the upper end ofthe edge 159 and a relatively short abutment edge 163 are joined, and atthe lower extremity of the latter edge, there is an abrupt meeting at ajunction 165 with a relatively long major sloping edge 167 inclined inthe opposite direction at approximately 40 with respect to thehorizontal. FIG. 5 also indicates that the junction 165 is somewhathigher than the upper end of the edge 155.

In operation, a desired length of control line 15 is pulled from thereel 29 by holding the handle 125 while pulling on the line. The plug 81is inserted in the opening 101, and the plug is moved in a directionindicated by arrows 171 in FIG. 3 so that the discs 87 and 89 are onopposite sides of the vertical portion 97 of the bracket 83. The controlline is now securely coupled to the toy vehicle 19 while allowing theline to untwist whenever slack in the line reduces frictional forcesbetween the plug 81 and the bracket 83. The vehicle may then beactivated to proceed in the direction 109 about the base 27 The path 31taken by the vehicle may now be controlled from a remote position by aperson simply pulling or releasing the control line as shown by thearrows 173 in FIG. 2. This action causes the line's first portion 13 torespectively lessen and lengthen as indicated by arrows 175. Thus,obstacles such as the can 33 may be avoided by pulling the hand unit-29away from the base,'while the hub 25 rotates with the movement of thevehicle 19 thereabout. As noted previously, the vehicle may. have anydesired appearance, and in this embodiment, is a tri-wheeled vehiclehaving a front wheel 181, a body 183 with a simulated steering yoke 185,and a pair of driven wheels 187.

To increase the interest of the users of the-present system 11, one ormore pylons 35 maybe attached by any convenient means, such'as tape, forexample, to the playing surface 37. In the case of a single pylon 35A(FIG. 1), the first portion 13 of the control line 15 will come intocontact with the pylons initial contact edge 155 at A, causing thevehicle to now pivot about this Less tension in the line, upon the lineencountering a pylon, will allow the line at the initial engaging edge155 to slip over the curve portion 157 and the upper edge 159 with onlyone revolution of the vehicle. However, the vehicle may conversely becontrolled to make three or'more revolutions about a pylon by simplyapplying mo re tension in the control line 15. This addi- Evenmore-interesting layouts may be provided by positioning a pair of pylons35B and 35C as shown in FIG. 1. In this situation, the vehicle 19traveling along the path 31 will first encounter the pylon 35B and pivotthereabout until the control line adjacent the vehicle further contactsthe second pylon 35C. Now, the vehicle will circle the latter pylon forone or more revolutions, depending upon the control line tension, and

' then be free to move outwardly and take up the slack in was formerlyat B, has progressed to the junction 165.

This progression is illustrated in FIG. 1 by dashed line outlines 13Athrough 13D and arrows 193A through 193D.

With only a slight amount of tension on the control line 15, on thefirst rotation about the pylon 35A by the vehicle 19, the portion 13will move up to a point C ,(just below the curve 157) while the toyvehicle pivots.

about the junction 165. Since the height of the vehicles bracket 83 isless than the height of the aperture 43 in the hubs arm 41, the linebetween the pylon and the vehiclewill pass under the control linebetween the pylon and the hub and again contact points A and B. Thistime, as the line slips up the sloping edge 187 it will cause the linenow at point A to move up and push the control .line from C, and bothportions of theline will slide over the curve 157 in the upper edge 159and thus disengage from the pylon. Release of the line portion 13 fromthe pylon 35A will allow the vehicle to move outwardly to take up theslack in the line between itself and the hub 25.

It will be noted from FIG. 4, that an edge 201 of the pylons baseportion 151 is provided at an angle of approximately 22 with respect tothe plane of the pylons upstanding portion 153. This is an aid inobtaining the most desirable orientation of this plane with regard tothe position of the base. Accordingly, in originally positioning thepylons on the playing surface 37, the edge 201 is lined up visually withthe center of the base 27 (axis of rotation 61), before the base portion151 is anchored to the surface. This particular orientation, althoughnot necessary for operation of the system, adds to its desirabilitysince it tends to cause the vehicle to steer slightly outwardly when theline portion 13 disengages from the pylon so that uncontrolled operationduring the time the control line is slack is significantly decreased.Thus, by holding slight tension in the control line 15 the operator cancause the vehicle to circle twice about the pylon 35A, as illustrated inFIG. 1.

the first line portion 13. Of course, any desired number of pylons andcombinations of pylons may be utilized to develop and test the skill ofthe individuals controlling the movement of the toy vehicles 19.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that there has been describedanew and improved remotely controlled wheeled toy vehicle system free ofmany of the disadvantages of the prior art and which willprovide ahighly interesting and challenging toy that rewards the development ofskill in its operation. I

As noted previously, the materials and processes used in fabricating theinvention are not critical and any material and process which isgenerally considered suitable for a'particular application may beutilized.

Although only a limited number of embodiments of the invention havebeendescribed in detail it should be understood that the invention is.acceptable to other embodiments and variations within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, this disclosure should only be considered asillustrative of the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A remotely controlled wheeled toy vehicle system,

comprising:

a powered wheeled toy vehicle adapted to travel on a playing surface;

a line attached to said vehicle controlling the direction of travel ofsaid vehicle essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of saidline adjacent said vehicle;

a stationary base; and

a hub rotatably supported by said base, said hub including line guidemeans for guiding said line, said line extending from said vehicle to amanipulatable end through said line guide means, the length of a firstportion of said line between said vehicle and said hub being controlledby movement of the remaining portion of said line toward and away fromsaid hub, whereby said vehicle is capable of traveling around said baseat any desired and continuously changeable distance therefrom.

2. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein said line guidemeans includes guides in said hub disposed to guide said line in aradial direction with respect to the rotational axis of said hub. 3. Thetoy vehicle system according to claim 2,

wherein-said guides include an aperturein said hub adjacent said axis ofrotation and also includes an aperture adjacent an outer radialextremity of said hub through which said first portion passes. 4. Thetoy vvehicle system according to claim3, whereinsaid base includes avertical bushing and wherein-said hub includes an upper horizontalportion and a downwardly-extending axle portion coaxial with said axisof rotation- V 5. The toy system according to claim 4, wherein saidhorizontal portion of said hub includes a plurality of radiallyextending arms, each of said arms including said line guide means.

' .6. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein said firstportion of saidline includes a swivel member.

7. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1,

wherein said first portion, of said line includes a shock absorberelement.

8. The toy vehicle according to'claim 1, also comprising line attachmentmeans including a slotted bracket attached to said vehicle and acoupling plug attached to the extremity of said first portion of saidline for allowing said plug to be removably and pivotally engaged in theslot in said bracket.

9. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1, also comprising ahand-held unit to which said manipulatable end is attached. r

10. The toy vehicle system according to claim 9,

wherein said hand-held unit includes a circular line take-up reel with arelatively broad circumferential groove in which said line may be wound.11. The toy vehicle system according to claim 10, wherein said hand-heldunit also includes a resilient circular segment member movably disposedin said groove to adjustably capture line wound on said groove.

12. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1, also comprising atleast one pylon member attachable to said playing surface between saidvehicle and said base, said pylon member including line control meansfor disengagably contacting said first portion of said line to shortenthat length of said first portion about which said vehicle pivots. 1 l

13. The toy vehicle system according to claim 12, wherein said pylonmember includes a base portion and wherein said line control meansincludes an upstanding control member supported by said base portion.

14. The toy vehicle system according to claim 13, wherein said controlmeans isessentially planar and includes a relatively slightly slopingfirst edge, an opposi'tely disposed-relatively major sloping second edgeinclined upwardly toward said first edge, a relatively short abutmentedge at the top of said second edge and an intermediately sloping upperedge between said first and abutment edges, said second edge beinginclined generally oppositely said other edges, said pylon member beingoriented such that said first edge. first wherein said base portionincludes orientation means for properly orienting said pylon member withrespect to said base.

16. A remotely controlled wheeled toy vehicle system for use withself-powered toy vehicles, comprismg:

means for attaching acontrol line to a self-powered wheeled 'toy vehicleso that the direction of travel of the vehicle on a playing surface iscontrolled to be essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of theline adjacent the vehicle,

a stationary base;

a hub rotatably supported by said base, said hub including line guidemeans for guiding said line, said line extending from said vehicle to amanipulatable end through said line guide means, the length of a firstportion of said line between said vehicle and said hub beingcontrollable by movement of the remaining portion of said line towardand away from said hub,'whereby said vehicle is capable of travelingaround said base at any desired and continuously changeable distancetherefrom.

1. A remotely controlled wheeled toy vehicle system, comprising: apowered wheeled toy vehicle adapted to travel on a playing surface; aline attached to said vehicle controlling the direction of travel ofsaid vehicle essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of saidline adjacent said vehicle; a stationary base; and a hub rotatablysupported by said base, said hub including line guide means for guidingsaid line, said line extending from said vehicle to a manipulatable endthrough said line guide means, the length of a first portion of saidline between said vehicle and said hub being controlled by movement ofthe remaining portion of said line toward and away from said hub,whereby said vehicle is capable of traveling around said base at anydesired and continuously changeable distance therefrom.
 2. The toyvehicle system according to claim 1, wherein said line guide meansincludes guides in said hub disposed to guide said line in a radialdirection with respect to the rotational axis of said hub.
 3. The toyvehicle system according to claim 2, wherein said guides include anaperture in said hub adjacent said axis of rotation and also includes anaperture adjacent an outer radial extremity of said hub through whichsaid first portion passes.
 4. The toy vehicle system according to claim3, wherein said base includes a vertical bushing and wherein said hubincludes an upper horizontal portion and a downwardly extending axleportion coaxial with said axis of rotation.
 5. The toy system accordingto claim 4, wherein said horizontal portion of said hub includes aplurality of radially extending arms, each of said arms including saidline guide means.
 6. The toy vehicle system according to claim 1,wherein said first portion of said line includes a swivel member.
 7. Thetoy vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein said first portion ofsaid line includes a shock absorber element.
 8. The toy vehicleaccording to claim 1, also comprising line attachment means including aslotted bracket attached to said vehicle and a coupling plug attached tothe extremity of said first portion of said line for allowing said plugto be removably and pivotally engaged in the slot in said bracket. 9.The toy vehicle system according to claim 1, also comprising a hand-heldunit to which said manipulatable end is attached.
 10. The toy vehiclesystem according to claim 9, wherein said hand-held unit includes acircular line take-up reel with a relatively broad circumferentialgroove in which said line may be wound.
 11. The toy vehicle systemaccording to claim 10, wherein said hand-held unit also includes aresilient circular segment member movably disposed in said groove toadjustably capture line wound on said groove.
 12. The toy vehicle systemaccording to claim 1, also comprising at least one pylon memberattachable to said playing surface between said vehicle and said base,said pylon member including line control means for disengagablycontacting said first portion of said line to shorten that length ofsaid first portion about which said vehicle pivots.
 13. The toy vehiclesystem according to claim 12, wherein said pylon member includes a baseportion and wherein said line control means includes an upstandingcontrol member supported by said base portion.
 14. The toy vehiclesystem according to claim 13, wherein said control means is essentiallyplanar and includes a relatively slightly Sloping first edge, anoppositely disposed relatively major sloping second edge inclinedupwardly toward said first edge, a relatively short abutment edge at thetop of said second edge and an intermediately sloping upper edge betweensaid first and abutment edges, said second edge being inclined generallyoppositely said other edges, said pylon member being oriented such thatsaid first edge first contacts said line as it is moved by said vehicle.15. The toy vehicle system according to claim 12, wherein said baseportion includes orientation means for properly orienting said pylonmember with respect to said base.
 16. A remotely controlled wheeled toyvehicle system for use with self-powered toy vehicles, comprising: meansfor attaching a control line to a self-powered wheeled toy vehicle sothat the direction of travel of the vehicle on a playing surface iscontrolled to be essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of theline adjacent the vehicle; a stationary base; a hub rotatably supportedby said base, said hub including line guide means for guiding said line,said line extending from said vehicle to a manipulatable end throughsaid line guide means, the length of a first portion of said linebetween said vehicle and said hub being controllable by movement of theremaining portion of said line toward and away from said hub, wherebysaid vehicle is capable of traveling around said base at any desired andcontinuously changeable distance therefrom.